White Rock Manor at Penn National

White Rock Manor, formerly Ross Common, is a two-story brick Georgian manor house that overlooks the white rocks and serves as the front door to the Penn National facility. The house is rich in history and has been renovated to preserve its character and ensure its place in history. The property, also known as the Penn National Inn, begins its documented history with Adam Ross, an Irish immigrant. He purchased two tracts of land from William and John Penn in 1789 and 1812 and called it ‘Rosscommon’. Adam Ross married Jane Chambers, the daughter of Col. Benjamin Chambers- the founder of Chambersburg. The exact date of the construction is not documented but construction was prior to 1820 and possibly as early as 1812. The date carved in the stone of the south gable of the barn is either 1833 or 1838. There is an undocumented story of Col. Jeb Stuart’s visit to White Rock Manor, which has not been recorded in history books, but the family has kept it alive from one generation to the next. White Rock Manor was renamed in 1844 to recognize the imposing rocks on the mountain to the east.

The South Mountain Partnership is managed as a public-private partnership by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.

This website was financed in part by a grant from the Community Conservation Partnerships Program, the Environmental Stewardship Fund, under the administration of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation.